NY Knicks: 5 things to know about new head coach candidate Kenny Smith

Knicks president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry discuss their decision to fire Jeff Hornacek as the team's head coach.

LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 05: NBA analysts Kenny Smith (L) and Charles Barkley laugh during a live telecast of "NBA on TNT" at CES 2017 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center on January 5, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 8 and features 3,800 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 165,000 attendees. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 690102909 ORIG FILE ID: 631048326(Photo: Getty Images)

A surprising name was thrown into the Knicks' coaching search Wednesday when ESPN reported that TNT analyst Kenny Smith would interview for the job.

Smith, 53, joins a list of candidates that also includes Mark Jackson, David Fizdale, Jerry Stackhouse, Mike Woodson and David Blatt. Woodson and Jackson reportedly interviewed for the job on Wednesday.

While the Knicks said they would conduct an open search, Smith is a surprising candidate since he has no previous coaching experience.

Here are five things to know about him:

1. He's a New York City native

Smith is a Queens native who attended Archbishop Molloy High School, where he was named a McDonald's All-American in 1983.

2. He was a college star

Smith went on to play for legendary coach Dean Smith at North Carolina, where he was a teammate of Michael Jordan his freshman season.

In his four seasons as a Tar Heel, Smith, a point guard, averaged 12.9 points and six assists per game. He was named an All-American as a senior.

Smith is second all time in career assists at UNC with 768.

3. Decorated NBA career

Smith was drafted sixth overall by the Sacramento Knicks in 1987.

He went on to play for 10 NBA seasons with the Kings, Rockets, Hawks, Nuggets, Pistons and Magic.

Smith won a pair of championships with Houston in 1994 and 1995. He is still Houston's all-time leader in three-point field goal percentage at 40.7 percent.

Smith averaged 12.8 points and 5.5 assists for his career.

4. His broadcasting career

Smith retired from basketball after the 1996-97 season. He began working for Turner Sports in 1998 and is now an NBA studio analyst alongside Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson.

5. He has MSG experience — sort of

Smith worked for the MSG Network as a part-time analyst for Knick games from 2005-08.